Bashing with the Dawnguard Rune Hammer, whether in the air, directly against a surface or even against an enemy, places a Fire Rune on a nearby surface. Rather than expending Magicka to place the rune, Stamina is instead used in the act of bashing.

Once the rune has been placed, it behaves much like a regular rune and will explode for 50 points of Fire Damage when enemies touch it. Only one rune may be placed at a time, as attempting to place another will remove the previous rune.

Can be useful for leveling up the Destruction skill by expending Stamina rather than Magicka.

The enchantment makes the Dawnguard Rune Hammer a powerful weapon for lower-level users as it grants the ability to create powerful fire runes that would otherwise require an Apprentice level of skill in Destruction magic as well as large amounts of Magicka.

The warhammer's rune distance is increased with the Destruction perk Rune Master, making it a close and mid-range weapon.

Runes can be placed on the ground while using Become Ethereal and it will not end the Shout, as long as no enemies are bashed. This can be helpful, as runes can be safely placed near enemies, with the enemies unable to attack.